


There Will Be Love

by eerian_sadow



Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Generation One
Genre: Community: prowlxjazz, Enemies to Friends, Friends to Lovers, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-12-05
Updated: 2008-12-09
Packaged: 2018-09-19 23:51:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 2,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9466175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eerian_sadow/pseuds/eerian_sadow
Summary: Sometimes the problem you have to overcome is in yourself.





	1. Where There is Hatred

[ ](http://pics.livejournal.com/eerian_sadow/pic/000415az/)

He lacked the words to properly describe how obnoxious the new saboteur was. Prowl was certain he had learned them at some point in his life, but he was at a loss for them now.

Jazz insisted on invading his personal space. Well, he invaded everyone’s personal space, but the only other mech who seemed to mind was Sunstreaker—who was more private and anti-social than Prowl could ever hope to be. The saboteur was always too close to him, always casually touching a hand or shoulder or carelessly leaning against him during free periods where he was forced to be with the rest of the troops.

And the music. The constant noise was a constant distraction. He was never able to properly focus on anything while Jazz was around, because he was always having to tune out the saboteur’s music instead. Jazz even played the music during war room sessions, often times distracting everyone from Prime’s planning sessions.

And there were a thousand other things that made him hate the saboteur. Which was why it bothered him so much that the only mech who had bothered to visit him during his stay in medbay was Jazz.

“I know you don’t like me,” Jazz said softly, trying not to disturb the other patients in the medbay. “It’s okay. You don’t have to like everyone you meet, right?”

Prowl watched him, not really wanting to respond—or even talk to him. But he knew Jazz wouldn’t _go away_ until he had said everything he wanted to say.

“I don’t really like you either.” That was a confession he hadn’t expected to hear. “You’re uptight and you don’t bend the rules. You don’t like music—and that’s a sin against Primus himself—and you think I’m a distraction where ever I go. Half the time you won’t even look me in the optics—metaphorically speaking. You’re so hard to reach, it makes me almost need to be your friend. So if I’m coming on a little strong, that’s why; I’m just trying to reach you.”

The saboteur held a data pad out to the tactician when he finished speaking. Prowl took it hesitantly.

“It’s a literature file,” Jazz told him. “I’ve had it for years, but it seemed like something you might like. And it gets boring, just laying around in here waiting for Ratchet to release you.”

He was unaccountably touched by the saboteur’s gesture, especially since the other mech had just confessed to not liking him. Prowl pulled up the file, curious to see what Jazz thought would be of interest to him.

He immediately recognized the title as one of the pieces of literature his tactics instructor had recommended to his class just before his graduation. He had always meant to go back and read it, but had never had the time.

“Thank you, Jazz.” For the first time he could remember, he was sincere when he said that.

Jazz’s smile was bright enough to make him feel awful for all his biting remarks and dry sarcasm in the past. “You’re welcome. Keep it if you like; I’ve read it so many times I don’t think I could delete it from my memory banks if I wanted to.”

“I will. Thank you again.” He still didn’t like Jazz, but perhaps hatred was not the most logical response to him.  



	2. Where There is Injury

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The response you expect is not always the one you recieve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hadn't expected to get the second part out so quickly. but i had a tickle of inspiration before i went out to take my mother to hell--i mean wal-mart--and then when i came back to the coffeehouse, it all came together. very pleased with it. part 2 of 6

He was taken by complete surprise by the unrestrained fury Jazz released on him the moment the other members of the special ops team left the briefing room. Prowl couldn’t understand why the other mech was so angry with him. 

“How _dare_ you undermine my authority like that!” Jazz didn’t shout, which might have made the situation more bearable. Instead, his rage was quiet—much like Prowl’s own—and rather terrifying.

He ran his memory files of the meeting, trying to understand both the statement and the saboteur’s anger. “I wasn’t trying to undermine you! What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about when you directly changed my orders without even asking me my opinion!” Jazz threw the data pad containing the team’s latest mission specs at him. “I give some of those orders for a reason—not even Prime would change them without consulting me first!”

The data pad slammed into the table and skidded to a stop just in front of him. Prowl stared at it, considering the other mech’s statements as logically as he could. He went back over the parameters of the assignment that he had changed and compared them to similar missions the ops team had run in the past.

The orders he had changed—deemed unnecessary—had been there in each instance, and had twice saved Bumblebee’s life.

“I’m sorry.”

Jazz’s fury deflated as quickly as it had been turned on him. “What?”

“I am sorry. I may be second in command of the army, but I know little of special operations and should have consulted you before I changed their orders.” The tactician was embarrassed by his actions, now that he had really thought about it, but they had seemed like the best choice at the time.

“I—” Jazz gave him a rueful grin. “You really know how to take the heat of a mech’s fire, you know?”

Prowl returned the grin. “So I’m told.”

“Just…just don’t do it again. Ask questions, but please, don’t do that in front of my guys again.”

“They must be able to trust you and your authority; I understand.”

“Good.” Jazz’s demeanor changed abruptly and he grabbed Prowl by the wrist and pulled him out of his chair. “Now, let’s go get some energon and I’ll teach you some of what I do for my guys. One of these days, it might be you making the orders so they can come save me.”


	3. Where There is Doubt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> shared belief can only make it stronger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm not satisfied with this one. it's not precsely what i wanted, and it doesn't feel right to me. but it is the scene i was trying to write, so i'll let it stand.

He pulled Bluestreak close to his chest plates after Starscream threw the younger mech back in the holding cell. The sniper was trembling—in pain, in fear, a combination of both—and he was missing several panels of armor that Prowl knew he’d been taken away with.

“They aren’t coming for you, Autobot,” the Seeker sneered. “Stop giving yourself false hope.”

“They’ll come,” Bluestreak whispered. “I know they will.”

“You’re a fool.” Starscream turned on his heel and walked away.

Prowl watched him go with wary optics. “What happened?”

“I didn’t tell them anything, Prowl. They wanted the coordinates of the base, but I didn’t tell.” Bluestreak wrapped shaky arms around his mentor. “You’d have been proud of me.”

“I am proud of you,” the tactician replied. “You did well.”

They sat in silence. Groons passed before the trembling in the younger mech’s frame passed. When Bluestreak had finally calmed, Prowl finally spoke.

“What did Starscream mean when he brought you back?”

“I kept telling him that the others would come. Optimus Prime will send an extraction team for us.” Blue snuggled closer to the older mech, the need for recharge becoming imperative because of his damage. “He got so angry, but I know they’ll come.”

Prowl was touched by the faith Bluestreak had in their comrades. He knew Optimus would send an extraction team if he thought it could be done without loss of life, but the odds of that were slim. Jazz on the other hand, would come for them through the Destroyer Himself if necessary.

In all the time he had known the saboteur, Jazz had never left an Autobot behind enemy lines—even when all he could do was bring home a corpse for memorial.

“He’ll come for us,” Prowl finally agreed.

As Bluestreak fell into recharge in his arms, Prowl found himself watching through the energy bars on the cell for the familiar glow of a blue visor.  



	4. Where There is Despair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> shared belief can only make it stronger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this came out exactly as i hoped, and i am most pleased with it.

He knew Jazz would come for them, but he was beginning to believe that it would not be before Bluestreak deactivated from the amount of damage the Decepticon interrogators were inflicting on him. It hurt to see the young sniper be tossed back into the cell cycle after cycle with the damage accumulating each time.

He wasn’t losing faith in Jazz, but he was afraid Bluestreak wouldn’t see his own faith validated.

The sniper was so weak now that all he could was curl into Prowl’s side after he was put back in the cell. Thundercracker was gentler with the younger mech than his trine-mates, but it wasn’t enough to calm the Bluestreak’s fears or soothe his trembling. Prowl held his protégé and whispered quietly soothing words in his audio.

Thundercracker watched the exchange until Bluestreak fell into recharge.

“Is it my turn now?” Prowl asked him once he was certain the sniper wouldn’t be disturbed.

“I have a message for you,” the Seeker replied.

“A message?” The tactician was confused; Decepticons were more known for giving their messages in person than via a currier.

“I didn’t support this plan,” Thundercracker replied. “Do you want the message or not?”

“Yes.” He didn’t know what it was, but he respected the danger Thundercracker was putting himself in enough to hear the other mech out.

“Jazz says the show is in Polyhex in five groons.” Thundercracker looked confused by the message. Prowl could tell that he was almost hoping the tactician would enlighten him.

He turned the message over in his processor, knowing he would do no such thing. Jazz may have sent Thundercracker to be his messenger, but he wouldn’t have used code if he thought the Decepticon could be trusted. Prowl compared the message to the data he had on previous prisoner situations. Almost immediately, he connected Jazz’s message to an extraction the special ops team had performed to retrieve Smokescreen and Perceptor from a Decepticon prison in Polyhex.

In five groons, Jazz and his team would be here to take them home.

After Thundercracker left, Prowl gently pulled Bluestreak out of recharge to give him the news.  



	5. Where There is Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> support is strongest when it is unexpected

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> part of me doesn't like this one as much as some of the others. i almost feel like it should be longer, but i can't find anything to do with it. of course, it could just be my migraine talking.

The extraction was almost flawless. They would have made it out of the Decepticon base completely without notice if Bluestreak hadn’t fallen and alerted a passing security patrol. No one faulted him; it was amazing that he had been able to make it that far under his own power. Unfortunately, the sniper had taken some additional damage in the ensuing firefight and was now in critical condition in medbay.

Prowl stood vigil over him. Ratchet hadn’t cleared him to return to active duty yet, so he filled his time by making sure nothing happened to his protégé. It was the least he could do, when he hadn’t been able to protect him from the Decepticon’s torture.

“How is he?” Jazz asked, stepping up beside him.

“The same,” Prowl replied wearily. “But not any worse, which Ratchet says is a good sign.”

“You should get some rest,” the saboteur said. “I know they didn’t do anything to you, but you were still under a lot of stress watching what was happening to Blue.”

“I am resting,” the tactician argued. “I am not doing any work for the unit, and I have no intention of trying until Bluestreak leaves critical care.”

“You’re offline on your feet. I’ll stay with him while you get some recharge.”

Prowl shook his head. He didn’t know if he could make Jazz understand why he had to stay with Bluestreak, but he had to see the younger mech through this crisis. “I can’t. Not yet.”

“Prowl, please. You don’t need to be so tough here.” The saboteur put a hand on his shoulder. “At least sit down? I’ll go find you a chair.”

“All right.” Jazz was at least right about that much. He didn’t need to stand to watch over Bluestreak. “I’ll sit, but I can’t—“

Prowl’s vocalizer stuttered and froze in sudden pain. His entire processor felt like it was ready to implode.

“Prowl? What’s wrong?” Jazz’s voice sounded hollow and distant to his audios.

“Get…Ratchet,” he managed to force out.

Faintly, Prowl could hear Jazz bellowing for the medic as strong arms kept him from falling to the ground.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

His circuits felt like they were burning. For all Prowl knew, they could have been; he couldn’t make out any of the error messages his processor was receiving. His optics also didn’t seem to be receiving input properly, though he knew they were online; his world consisted of several colored smears and some bright lights.

Prowl’s frantic thought processes slowed slightly when he felt a strong hand grip his. “It’s all right, Prowl. I’m here, and I ain’t going anywhere.”

The tactician couldn’t remember feeling so relieved. He wasn’t alone. He wouldn’t be left defenseless while he was vulnerable from massive system failure. His overtaxed systems calmed a bit and a few of the incomprehensible error messages went away.

“Ratchet says Shockwave gave you a little going away present,” the saboteur continued. “But he’s already got some anti-virus code running and you’ll be all right.”

He couldn’t process well enough to formulate a reply, but he understood. Giving Jazz’s hand a squeeze, he offlined his optics again; his processor was confused enough without their distorted input.

He drifted back into recharge with Jazz’s hand firmly holding his and the saboteur’s voice crooning a soothing melody into his audios.  



	6. Where There is Sadness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> communication is most difficult when no one talks about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and its finished. talk about blowing through a challenge. ^_^ i am pleased with the overall result here, but i do think its going in for some editing before it hits my fic archive.
> 
> Note 2017: I never edited it.

He woke to the sounds of something light and thin rustling against a metal frame. Prowl onlined his optics and saw Ratchet draping a thermal wrap over Bluestreak, who was in recharge in a chair next to his medical berth.

“Welcome back,” the medic said softly. “Try not to bring him out of recharge if you can help it. He shouldn’t even be out of his own berth yet, but he wouldn’t stay down once he found out you were in here too.”

“I will be careful,” the tactician replied in an equally quiet tone. “Where is Jazz?”

“I’m not sure. He cleared out not long after Blue came in.” Ratchet looked concerned. “Why? Do you need him for something?”

“I…No. I don’t think so.” Prowl tried to pin down what he was feeling and couldn’t. “It’s just that he said he would be here.”

“You want me to find him for you?”

He appreciated the medic’s offer, but he didn’t feel like he should take him up on it. He didn’t know why he was so bothered by the lack of Jazz’s presence and he wanted to think on it before he confronted the saboteur. “Thank you, but no. I will find him later.”

“If you’re sure.” Ratchet looked him over carefully, and Prowl knew he was being given a medical scan before the other mech left the room.

“I am. When will I be released?”

“In a groon or so. I want to run a few more scans now that you’re online to be sure the virus has been eliminated.”

Prowl nodded. A groon would give him more than enough time to process his feelings and decide the best course of action.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

He found Jazz in one of the observation rooms, staring out a window. He didn’t think that he had ever seen the saboteur look sad before, but Jazz looked completely depressed right now. Prowl’s spark ached at the sight.

“Jazz?”

The saboteur turned to face him, his face lighting up in pure joy for a moment. Then his happiness fell away and he turned back to the window. “Prowl. How you feeling?”

“I would be better if you had been there when I came back online,” Prowl replied.

“Didn’t seem right. I mean, I knew you and Blue were…” Jazz shook his head. “I don’t want to be in your way.”

“What?” The tactician couldn’t hide his confusion. Surely Jazz didn’t think he and Bluestreak were in a relationship?

“I care about you, Prowl. I don’t want to be the one to keep you from being happy.” The saboteur rested his forehead on the window, obviously trying to hide his face from the other mech.

Prowl stepped closer to him and laid a hand on Jazz’s shoulder. “Bluestreak is my student, Jazz. And for a time I raised him, so it is only natural that we care deeply for each other. But it is the love a creator feels for his sparkling.”

Jazz turned to look at him, obviously trying to hide the hope that Prowl could see rising on his features. He wondered how he could have missed how deeply the saboteur had begun to care for him. “What’re you saying, Prowl?”

“I am saying that you are only standing in the way of your own happiness.”

The smile Jazz gave him could have drowned out the light of a star. The saboteur turned and pulled him into a hug. Prowl stiffened involuntarily, unused to physical contact from anyone except Bluestreak.

Jazz’s bright expression dimmed. “Sorry. I thought you meant—“

“I did.” Prowl returned the embrace, holding Jazz tightly to keep the other mech from pulling away. “I am not good with emotions, Jazz, and other mechs don’t like to come near me, let alone touch me. Will you teach me?”

The saboteur tightened his hold on the tactician. “Gladly, Prowl. Gladly.”  


**Author's Note:**

> the paramaters of the challenge can be found [here](http://community.livejournal.com/prowlxjazz/188901.html).


End file.
